In my earlier days at Yahoo, I used to give out an award called The Wiggy. It was a nod towards Ty Wigginton, the type of everyman hero who would routinely prove fantasy baseball useful. Wigginton regularly qualified at multiple positions and would usually percolate below 50% rostered in Yahoo; when you needed him, he’d answer the call. We had a lot of fun with The Wiggys. I’m not quite sure why they went away.
If I were still awarding these things, Willi Castro of Minnesota would check most of the boxes. Castro qualifies at every field position except first base and catcher — you have four choices of where you want to use him. His .270 average is above code, he’s hitting the occasional homer (seven over 230 at-bats), and he’s stolen a sneaky eight bases — including four last week. And the Twins have steered into Castro as a key offensive piece — he’s batted second, third or fourth in 13 straight games.
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I know league specs and sizes will vary, but Castro deserves to be more respected in fantasy circles. He’s still trading at a modest 45% rostered in Yahoo leagues. I’m doing my best to fix that — I’m playing in four Yahoo pools, and I roster Castro three times. Versatile players like this allow you to be positionless when injuries strike — you slide Castro where he’s needed, then tap the best hitter off the bench. Flexibility is your friend.
Let’s look at some of the other interesting hitters currently on the wire in most Yahoo leagues.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire
Addison Barger, 1B/3B, Blue Jays (48% rostered on Yahoo)
You have to accept some conditions when you pick up Barger. He wasn’t a rated prospect, he didn’t hit last year with Toronto, and he won’t do much against left-handed pitching (.622 OPS). But we live in a right-handed world, and Barger is raking .277/.333/.543 against the northpaws, with 11 home runs in 188 at-bats. The next four Toronto opponents are right-handed pitchers, and three of them come from the White Sox. If you want some metrics to support the move, look at the glorious red ink all over Barger’s Baseball Savant page. He’s making his own luck.
Josh Smith, 1B/SS/3B/OF, Rangers (35% rostered)
Smith is another lefty swinger who makes his hay in the platoon advantage — .300/.372/.465 against righties, with eight homers and five steals over 217 at-bats. He’s also doing nifty work as the Texas leadoff man, scoring 31 runs in 44 assignments there. Seven of the next nine opponents are right-handed, so it’s a good time to tap on Smith as a credible mixed-league starter. Regular contact is a key part of his game, with a walk rate above average and a strikeout rate well above average.
Mickey Moniak, OF, Rockies (7% rostered)
Here’s another lefty swinger you have to work the schedule for, but the upcoming layout is perfect. Colorado faces six right-handed starters this week, and then three straight out of the break (of course, those week-away projections are highly variable; do your diligence next week). Moniak has a .565 slugging percentage and 12 homers in 186 at-bats against righties, and his next nine games will come in the three best offensive environments (Fenway Park, Great American Ball Park, Coors Field). Location, location, location.
Jeff McNeil, 2B/OF, Mets (11% rostered)
The New York offense has hit the skids in recent days, but McNeil isn’t part of the problem — he’s slashing a robust .286/.351/.536 over his past 24 games, with six homers. Keep in mind the back class with McNeil, as he won the batting title in 2022 and has a career average of .287. He’s also driving the ball more these days, with the nine homers over 57 games and a peppy .481 slugging percentage. McNeil’s BB/K ratio is almost an even one, and that’s a reliable indicator for a plus-hitter.
Carlos Narvaez, C, Red Sox (21% rostered)
The Boston lineup has started to perk up, with 67 runs over the past eight games. Narvaez is a key member of the group, slotting fifth or higher in his past 27 starts. You get a good average with Narvaez, the occasional homer, a discerning eye. The Yankees have to be kicking themselves for trading Narvaez so cheaply — he’s outhit Austin Wells all season.
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